Tag Archives: Pepper Jack Cheese

I LOVE this spicy twist on a Florentine dish. As with everything else, FLAVOR and bold taste are the ingredient CRITERION. Pepper jack cheese easily made the ingredient cut and the homemade cajun mix provides the heat filled rub for this entree.

Ingredients:Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp Cajun seasoning – see below for a homemade Cajun spice recipe

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.

Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.

Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten with toothpicks.

Brush each chicken breast with the vegetable oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).

Place the chicken seam-side down onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the toothpicks before serving!

Homemade Cajun Seasoning Mix:

3/4 tbsp paprika

3/4 tsp onion salt

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp oregano

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Monterey Chicken

Just HAD to SHARE this from All Things Simple. Included is an amazing Butter Pecan Sweet Potato recipe.

This recipe is one of those semi-homemade DINNERS where the ingredient list is short, the flavor is TALL and the prep time is quick! Love it. I would top it with some FRESHLY chopped tomatoes and a tad bit of chopped cilantro.

Decor: Paperwhites on the Dining Table….

I have a SECRET obsession with Paper Whites. Tall crispy green stalks and pop-of-white COLOR are the lures of this little BULB. Anything would taste DELICIOUS while …gazing at the whites.

Buy them in BLOOM….or force them.

How To Force Paper Whites

Paper whites are the original “Just Add Water” plant. While paperwhite bulbs can be planted in soil, more commonly they are grown in pots or dishes with some stones or marbles to anchor them in place and a little water.

Select a container that is about 3 – 4 inches deep (8 – 10 cm) and that has no drainage holes.

Spread an inch or 2 of stones, marbles or even gravel, along the bottom of the container.

Position your paper white bulbs, pointed end up, on top of the stone layer. Go ahead and squeeze them in. They not only look better in a large group, the tight fit will help keep them from toppling over.

Add another layer of stones to fill in any gaps and cover the bulbs up to their shoulders. The pointed tips should still be showing.

Add water so that the level just reaches the base of the bulbs. Allowing the bottom of the bulb to sit in water will stimulate growth. Covering the entire bulb with water could cause it to rot.

The bulbs don’t need light at this point and they prefer to be kept on the cool side, at about 65 degrees F (18 degrees C.)

Check your bulbs daily to see if they need more water.

When you see roots developing, move the container to a sunny window. The sunnier the better, but try not to let them get too warm or they’ll grow leggy.

Once the plants flower, they will last longer if moved out of direct sunlight, to a cool spot with indirect or diffused light.

You can start pots of paper whites every couple of weeks, for a continuous display throughout the winter.